Apparatus for coating pipes



Aug. 24, 1937 A. G. PERKINS APPARATUS FORV COATIN-G PIPES v2 sheets-sheet 1 Original Filed May 31, ,1930

nveniog I y I J Aug. 24, 1937. A, Q PERKlNS 2,090,851

APPARATUS FOR COATING PIPES Original Filed May 3l, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @000000000000000OOOOQCOQOOOOOUOQ Patented Aug. 24, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,090,851 A APPARATUSV FOB. .COAATING PIPES Albert G. Perkins, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application May 31, 1930, Serial No. 458,481 Renewed February 28, 1936 claims.

'Ihis'invention relates to an apparatus which has been designed more particularly for coating theinner Walls of pipe lines to prevent the formation of barnacles thereon.

6 One of its objects is to provide an eicient apparatus of this character/which is simple and compact in construction, reliable in operation,

' and Whose parts are so designed and arranged as to effectively apply a uniform plastic coating to the inner surface of the pipe.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a coating machine of this character which is designed to travel along the surface to be treated and which is provided with revolving means for delivering the coating to the surface and for gaging its thickness.

YA still further object is to provide a coating apparatus having means for applying the material to the pipe surface and means for troweling or smoothing the material uniformly over the surlace after it is emitted from said applying means.

Other features of the invention reside in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my coating apparatus shown as traveling through a pipe line for treatingy its interior surface. Figure 2 is a front view of the apparatus arranged within the pipe. Figure 3 isV an enlarged central longitudinal Y section thereof. Figure 4 is a sectional View showing a modified form of feeding the concrete to the applicator. i

Similar characters of reference indicate correspond'ing parts throughout the several views.

While my apparatus may be employed for coating diiferent kinds of work, it has been primarily designed for coating the inner walls of pipe lines with a concrete or like plastic covering, whereby a surface is provided which prevents the formation of barnacles on the wall'of the pipe line. To this end, the apparatus consists, generally, of a carriage adapted to be propelled through the pipe line and having a revolving means for applying the coating, material on to the pipe as the carriage travels throughit.

Referring now to the drawings, I0 indicates a section of steel pipe through which my apparatus is designed to travel for treating or coating the inner wall of the pipe with a covering yof concrete in a moist or plastic condition,'it being desirable that such pipe-Wall have a roughened or serrated surface. 'Ihe carriage of the apparatus may be of any appropriate construction,

- and well known construction, but I prefer to embut preferably consists of a longitudinal frame Il including front and rear sets of wheels I2,

I2 and intermediate sets of wheels I3, the several which passes at its ends around sprocket wheels I9 applied to the wheels I2, while its upper and lower stretches engage sprocket wheels 20 applied to the intermediate sets of wheels I3. As shown in Figure 1, the front and rear sets of wheels I2 are smaller in diameter than the intermediate sets of wheels, so that normally, as4 the machine travels through the pipe, said frontand rear wheels clear the pipe wall, while the intermediate wheels engage the pipe wall, these wheels being preferably provided with a rubber or like tread surface. 0

Surmounting the frame I0 is a platform 2| carrying depending posts 22 which telescopically engage tubular members 23 applied to the frame. Disposed substantially centrally of this platform adjacent the rear portion thereof is a longitudinally extending tubular member conduit or feed tube 2l revolvable about a horizontal axis I approximately coaxial with that of the pipe and journaled in appropriate bearings 25. This feed tube is adapted to receive the wet concrete or like material to be applied to the pipe-wall and thence deliver it to al dispensing device or applicator, indicated generally by the numeral 26, which revolves with the feed tube and is designed to discharge the concrete in layer-like fashion on to the pipe as the machine travels through it. The dispensing device' is located at the rear end of the feed tube, while the front end of the latter opens into the bottom of a hopper 21 containing concrete or like plastic material. 'I'he feed tube and the dispensingl device may be revolved in any well known manner, say by an air or electric motor 28 carried by the platform 2| and connected by a pinion 29 with a gear wheel 30 fixed on the feed tube. l The means for feeding the concrete from the hopper 21 through the feed tube 24 and thenceto the dispensing device 26 may be of any suitable ploy a screw conveyor 3| extending through the 50 f eed tube and hopper and journaled at its ends in bearings 32. Motion is transmitted to the screw conveyor to propel the concrete rearwardly throughthe feed tube by an air or electric motor 55 l in juxtaposition tothe inner wall of the pipe, as

clearly seen in Figure 2, so that as the applicator revolves the concrete is applied directly to the pipe wall. A packing 39 is arranged between the bearing portions of the nozzle sections 36, 31 and a spring 40 applied to the inner section and abutting against the outer section tends constantly to urge the latter radially outward. Said outer nozzle-section 31'has a guide wheel or' gage-roller 4i thereon which is disposed for rolling contact with the inner wall of the pipe I and should there be an unevenness in the pipe, the spring will permit the outer section to move radially inward and will constantly maintain its flared or discharge mouth in proper relation to the pipe-wall and thereby govern the thickness lof the concrete applied to such wall. As shown in Figure 2 this guide wheel is so.positioned that its tread surface projects laterally or to one side of the discharge end of the nozzle, so that said wheel acts to clear the nozzle-mouth from any obstruction in the pipe during rotary movement of the applicator.

The provision of the telescopic nozzle-sections 36, 31 also enables the machine to be readily adapted for use with pipes of different sizes. Furthermore, the discharge ends of the nozzles may be arranged in the same vertical plane or slightly staggered lengthwise of the pipe to effect the discharge of the concrete at points adjoining each other.

At their trailing sides, the discharge ends of the concrete-emitting nozzles are provided with trowel-like members or blades 42 which act to spread and smooth over the concrete as it is applied to the pipe fromthe nozzles. Radial arms 43 interposed diametrically between these nozzles have similar members 44 applied thereto which act in conjunction with the companion members and may be staggered relatively thereto to uni- Aformly spread the concrete in an even layer over 'the inner wall of the pipe. The guide wheels 40,

in addition to their function of guiding the nozzles, also govern the thickness of the concrete layer applied to the pipe by maintaining the discharge mouths of the nozzles a predetermined distance' from the inner surface of the pipe. To enable these wheels to be'adjusted as desired, their brackets 45 are shiftable radially of the nozzles by means of bolts 46 engaging slots 41 in said brackets, as shown in Figure 3.

If desired, air under pressure maybe introduced into the concrete hopper 21 to assist the screw 3| in forcing the concrete in a compact -condition to the discharge nozzles.

To permit a thorough cleaning out of the feed conduit and nozzles, I preferably provide an opening 48 at the rear end of said feed conduit and normally closed by a plug or cap 49. A hose may be introduced through these openings for thoroughly washing. the parts and removingany concrete therefrom. A

If desired, the apparatus may be equipped with a suitable device for upsetting or roughening the inner pipe-wall so as to insure a proper anchorage for the concrete when applied on one of the existing applicator nozzles or it may be applied to a radial arm 50 secured to the feed tube 24 to turn therewith. This upsetting device may consist of a casing 5l mounted on the outer end of the arm and having a reciprocating chiselor like tool 52 operated in any suitable and well knownv manner to penetrate or bite into the pipe-wall and roughen it as the machine travels through the pipe, as Well as clean any foreign matter therefrom, it being understood that this device is located in advance of the concrete applying nozzles 36, 31, so that the surface is treated before the concrete is applied.

The radial arms 43 and composed of telescopic sections, similar to those of the nozzle-sections 36, 31, to render them suitable for use with pipes of different sizes.

Instead of employing a feed screw for forcing the concrete through the conduit 24, a cylinder 53 may be used and substituted for the feed hopper 21, as seen in Figure 4. This cylinder has a cover 54 at its top which may be removed for .I

charging the cylinder with concrete and air under pressure is delivered to the cylinder through a pipe 56- for forcing the concrete through the conduit.

It is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the exact details of construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and described, and that' various changes therein and modifications thereof may be made within the scope of the appended claimsl without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

I claimas my invention: y

l. An apparatus for applying a coating to a pipe-wall, comprising a nozzle movable circum.- ferentially of the pipe and adapted for communication with a source of coating material, said nozzle including a radially-movable section, and a guide member disposed for rolling contact with the pipe-wall.

2. An apparatus for applying'a coating to a pipe-wall, comprising a nozzle movable circumferentially of the pipe and adapted for communication with 'a source of coating material, said nozzle including telescopically jointed sections, a guide member applied to the outer nozzle-section for rolling contact with a pipe wall, and means for yieldingly urgingsaid guide member toward said pipe-wall.

3. An apparatus for applying a plastic coating to a pipe-wall, comprising a carriage movable i lengthwise through the pipe, a revolving applicator for applying a. plastic material to the pipe-v wall, and means revolvable with said applicator and engageable with said pipe-wall for roughening its surface preparatory to receiving the coating of plastic material.

4. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a carriage movable lengthwise through a conduit, a revolving element mounted on said carriage to rotate in a direction circumferentially of the conduit, and scarifying means applied to said element revolvable therewith and engageable with the conduit wall for roughening its surface.

5. An apparatus for applying a plastic coating to a pipe-Wall, comprising a carriage adapted for movement lengthwise through the pipe in wheeled contact with its bottom portion, a revolving nozzle mounted on said carriage with its axis substantially in line with the pipe-axis, means for revolving said nozzle, a hopper for the plastic material applied to the carriage, means for feeding the 50 may likewise be aooon material from the hopper to the nome. means revolvable abouty the nozzle-axis for trowelins the material on the pipe-wall. and means for propelling said carriage through the pipe wherebythe plastic material is applied to the pipewall in continuous fashion and then troweied.

` 6. An apparatus for applying a plastic coating to va. pipe-wall. comprising a. carriage having wheels thereon ior guiding contact with the interior of the pipe-wall, power means for propelling the carriage through the pipe, a feed conduit mounted on said carriage, a hopper for the plastic material applied to said carriage and in operative communication at one end with said `conduit. a.

revolving applicator in operative communication with the other `end of said conduit and in substantially axial alinement with the pipe-axis for applyingthe material to the pipefwall, means for revolving the applicator, means in said conduit for feeding the material therethrough to the applicator. and troweling means revolvable about the applicator-axis for compressing and smoothins down the plastic material as it is applied to the 10 pipe-wall. c

,.':-. G. PRS. 

